Liberal stalwart John Elliott considers tilt in Hawthorn

Farrah Tomazin

Former Carlton president John Elliott is considering running for preselection in Ted Baillieu's blue ribbon seat of Hawthorn, with the 72-year-old boldly declaring he could help the Napthine government's chances at November's state election.

A day after Mr Baillieu surprised colleagues by announcing he was quitting politics, jostling for the former premier's safe seat intensified on Saturday, with Denis Napthine's legal counsel John Pesutto firming as a frontrunner, frontbencher Mary Wooldridge still declining to reveal her plans, and Mr Elliott - a former Liberal Party president - contemplating his chances.

"I could help them along a bit, I think," he told The Sunday Age. "I only learnt about it on Friday at about half-past five, so I've said I would contemplate it and make a decision within a week."

While party insiders doubt Mr Elliott is serious, pursuing a political comeback would not be out of character for the colourful businessman, who recently campaigned to become Melbourne's deputy lord mayor.

However, a more likely contest would come down to a choice between Mr Pesutto, who was Mr Baillieu's industrial adviser and now works in Dr Napthine's private office, and Institute of Public Affairs director John Roskam, who is believed to be interested but could not be contacted on Saturday.

"I can confirm that I am seriously considering nominating for preselection for Hawthorn and that I am consulting party members from across the electorate and state," Mr Pesutto said. "I will make a formal announcement soon."

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Health Minister David Davis (whose upper house region takes in the seat of Hawthorn) has now ruled out standing, putting to bed speculation of a move to the lower house, while Ms Wooldridge (who was parachuted into a safe upper house seat after losing a bruising preselection in Kew) was still not commenting about her intentions.

Party insiders are divided as to whether Ms Wooldridge should nominate: some say it would be a "bad look" given the effort it took to find the minister a safe seat in the wake of the Kew bloodbath; others point to her leadership potential, and the fact that she has often enjoyed Mr Baillieu's support, as reasons she should.

The Liberal Party's administrative committee will meet on Monday to discuss the process for nominating Mr Baillieu's replacement. Usually Liberal preselections are put to a local vote, but given the election is only 97 days away, it is more likely that the administrative committee will pick a candidate to fast-track the process.

Mr Baillieu's decision to stand down caught the government off-guard on Friday, and party insiders remain puzzled about the timing of his decision, given he resisted pressure to quit earlier this year to assist Ms Wooldridge staying in the lower house.

However, it is understood that the former premier only came to the conclusion to bow out of politics last week, after 15 years in parliament.

On Saturday, the tributes continued, with his former chief of staff Michael Kapel - now the government's Commissioner to the Americas - describing Mr Baillieu as "a man of great dignity and intelligence who made a huge contribution to the advancement of the state".